1898 
NK W-YORKER. 
395 
THE RURAL 
Live Stock and Dairy. — Continued. 
the milk a cow gives, she makes “ out of 
whole cloth ” during the process of milk¬ 
ing, will leave the matter pretty clear 
that about all of our flavors, odors, and 
tastes in milk—onions, leeks and cab¬ 
bage excepted—are the results of some¬ 
thing which has fallen into the milk, or 
been absorbed by it at some time or 
place, after milking. Why ensilage should 
affect the milk injuriously is strange 
from the fact that, as stated by Prof. 
Jas. Law of Cornell, at the New Jersey 
meeting, “ There is not an acid in a pit 
of good ensilage, which cannot be found 
in the stomach of a cow, even if she 
never saw, or ate any ensilage.” If these 
are abiding and natural elements, neces¬ 
sary to digestion, how can the same 
things in ensilage feed—for ensilage 
making is primary digestion—produce 
bad results? John oould. 
Ohio. 
A LOW FENCE FOR HENS. 
HOW HIGH WILL THTCY FLY ? 
We are thinking of inclosing a seven-acre field 
with a wire-netting fence, and keeping about 700 
hens at large, within the inclosure, having about 
14 or 15 small houses placed around the field, 
principally on the lighter places. What is the 
lowest chicken fence that we can safely put 
around the Held ? When kept in this way, will 
they be likely to fly over a tive-foot or six-foot 
fence ? Our plan would be to keep the houses 
back from the fence on all sides, and our experi¬ 
ence this year has been that a hen kept in this 
way is not so likely to fly over the fence if she 
has sufficient range inside. What would you con¬ 
sider the lowest fence that would be safe to in¬ 
close such a field ? Do you know of any cases 
where this plan has been carried out, and if so, 
will you tell us with what success ? 
Your idea is not bad. I think four 
feet would confine most of them. 1 can 
cut one joint off a chick’s wing when two 
days old, and keep Leghorns in al^'-foot 
fence that I can step over, and so avoid 
the nuisance of gates, w. h. tkuslow. 
Pennsylvania. 
1 do not think that fowls, even Leg¬ 
horns or their type, will give you any 
trouble at all in flying over a five-foot 
fence, when kept in the way mentioned. 
I find a four-foot wire fence more effect¬ 
ive than a six-foot board fence for con¬ 
fining chickens As to the success of 
the plan, there isn’t the least doubt about 
it; the only objection I have is the extra 
work in caring for them, and this is 
evened up somewhat from the fact that 
they require less care than when kept in 
one house and yards. Though for my 
part I would prefer the one house and 
yards plan. j. k. stevenson. 
New Jersey. 
The height of fence needed would de¬ 
pend a great deal on the kind of fowls, 
but for any of the breeds excepting Leg¬ 
horns and such small high-flyers, I 
would think a six-foot fence sufficiently 
high. I do not think they would fly 
over, or endeavor to, if they had a large 
inclosure. I think you would have 
trouble in getting the flocks to know 
their roosting places and not all get in 
one or a few of the houses. 1 do not 
know of any places where the above plan 
has been carried out. In making the 
fence. I would put aboard at the bottom, 
and then stretch the wire tight, using 
two widths of three-foot wire, fastening 
the wire to the board on the bottom, and 
at the top to the posts only, then they 
could not see the top and would not fly 
over - D. A. MOUNT. 
New Jersey. 
1 do not know of the plan you propose 
having been tried. If it were my venture, 
I would risk a five-foot fence. Whether 
they will fly out or not will depend upon 
the kind of fowls kept, and the attrac¬ 
tions outside and in. If they have all a 
reasonable hen should ask for inside, I 
think they would be contented, and not 
try to get out. b. holmes. 
New York. 
It appears that quite an extensive business is 
done in England in picking up broken-down 
horses for shipment to Belgium and Holland. In 
the past three years, 65,079 such horses were sent 
out of England. Formerly, these horses were 
slaughtered and used for food, but now it is said 
that they are worked as long as possible before 
being killed. It seems a shame that a horse hav- 
ing worked out its life in England should be sent 
to Belgium to work several months more with 
one foot in the grave. No wonder the English 
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, 
proposes to put a stop to this business. 
FORKFULS OF FACTS. 
It is said to be quite a common practice in 
England for grooms and others who have charge 
of horses, to feed arsenic on the sly. Small doses 
of arsenic improve the appearance of the horse’s 
coat, and many a lazy groom thinks that he can 
save labor by feeding this dangerous poison. In 
one recent case, a groom gave too much arsenic, 
and killed two horses. His defense was that he 
did not think he was doing any harm to the 
horses, aud that his intention was not a wrong 
one. He was found giiilty, however, and fined 
$15, with $30 costs. It does not pay to fool with 
poisons. Not many years ago, a wife and 
daughter attempted to cure a husband and 
father of intemperance by giving him secret 
doses of a deadly poison. Their intentiou was 
perfectly good, yet they killed the man, were 
tried for manslaughter, and convicted. 
Cotton-Seed Meal fob Poultry.— I do not con¬ 
sider cotton-seed meal a good feed in connection 
with anything, for eggs. The quality of the eggs 
is affected if it be fed in any amount worth bother¬ 
ing with, which is a sufficient reason for not 
using it. My hens do not relish it, and soon re¬ 
fuse to eat heartily of a ration containing it. Of 
course, they will not starve themselves on ac¬ 
count of its presence, but for highest success, 
they must eat greedily. A very small per cent of 
the ration, in the form of a mash, may safely be 
fed to Leghorn and Minorca hens at any time as 
far as health is concerned. I have not kept other 
breeds. If cut bone or any other food produced 
unfavorable results, instead of trying to correct 
the evil by addingother foods producing opposite 
effects, and thus operating both ways at the same 
time on the organs of the hen, I would reduce the 
amount of the disturbing food till I reached a 
healthy limit. Meat, either green or dried, while 
necessary for best results, must be used with 
shill- c. e. c. 
A Hokse in Armor —One of the most danger¬ 
ous insect plagues in the world is the Tsetse fly, 
a native of South Africa. It is no larger than a 
common house fly, harmless to human beings, 
yet its bite is usually fatal to horses, cattle, 
and other animals. Even the lion dreads it, and 
NO FLIES ON THIS HORSE. Fio. 173. 
the beasts of the forest and jungle forsake 
the district when it appears. Fig. 173 shows 
how English contractors are trying to defeat it 
in Mashonaland. The horses are completely en¬ 
veloped in a suit of duck or other stout material, 
the holes over the eyes being covered with wire 
netting. Dr. Livingstone, the missionary-ex¬ 
plorer, speaks in his journals of losing 43 oxen at 
one time from the bite of the Tsetse fly. 
Black-Legged Chickens.— A friend in Abing- 
ton, Conn., says that he formerly kept Black Leg¬ 
horn hens which were by far the best egg-pro¬ 
ducers he ever had. When he came to sell the 
old stock, however, the butchers would not give 
market prices,on account of the black legs, and 
made a great favor of taking them at all. Our 
friend, therefore, changed his stock, as he says 
that he cannot afford to throw the carcasses on 
the dunghill when he is through with the hens as 
egg-producers. He wants to know whether there 
is any breed of black fowls with yellow legs. We 
have not been able to obtain full market prices 
for our black roosters. There is a prejudice in 
every live market against black-legged fowls. 
Strange to say, when we killed and dressed the 
young roosters at home, customers did not 
seriously object to the black legs, and we have 
observed that the butchers usually obtained full 
prices for them. With us, the black hens lay 
more eggs than our other breeds, and are quieter, 
ami we think, hardier. We, therefore, prefer 
them, even though the price is docked a little on 
live weight sales. 
A Good Hen Record.— Upon going to Florida 
last Fall, as usual, I purchased 11 hens and an 
able-bodied rooster, turned them loose, fed them 
well, and awaited results. The 11 were a cross 
between Black Langshan and Black Minorca. 
One was an inexperienced pullet which or who 
did not lay for one or two months. I got them 
November 23, on which day they laid three eggs. 
I sold them April 25, and returned home. They 
were with me and I with them, feeding them 
and giving them good advice, just 152 days. The 
account is as follows as kept by the females of 
the family: Total eggs actually found, brought 
to book and eaten, 958; in other words, 79 dozen 
and 10 eggs. Dividing this work equally among 
the hens, including the aforesaid inexperienced 
pullet, and leaving out of account the rooster 
and myself, this was 87 l-ll eggs per hen. These 
eggs, at local market price, were worth $22.43. 
Feed cost $6.65. Total profit, $15 78, all of which 
was assimilated. The hens were sold at cost, 
viz., 50 cents each. None died. For a man not 
much of a hen man—and not much of a liar—all 
done in dead of Winter, I suppose this to be a 
success. 
Mendota, Ill. 
L. B. c. 
ALPHA “ 
DE LAVAL 
CREAM SEPARATORS 
OVER 4 2 5,000 IN USE. 
FIRST-BEST-LATEST. 
New and Improved May, 1898, Machines. 
Send for new “Baby” catalogue No. 268. 
The De Laval Separator Co. 
RANDOLPH & CANAL STS., 74 CORTLANDT STREET, 
CHICAGO. NEW YORK. 
Avoid Competition 
Did you ever notice 
that the best articles 
are out of competi¬ 
tion ? Competition al¬ 
ways reduces prices. 
It's so with butter. 
Best separator butter 
is out of competition. 
The best way to make 
tliebest butteris with 
a SHARPLES 
SEPARATOR. 
Either the Little 
Giant or Safety Hand will place your 
product beyond “shoe box” competition 
in. p - SHARPLES, 
Dubuque, la. West Chester, Pa. 
Omaha, Neb. 
Milk will not Sour 
nearly so quickly when It la 
purified by the 
! PERFECTION 
J Milk Cooler 
. _ ^ ** and Aerator... 
It cleans out all the odors Incident to change of food. It Is a 
low priced machine—should he In every dairy. Circulars free. 
L. n. LEWIS, Mir. Cortland, M. Y. 
Top Price Butter. 
The kind that a fancy private 
trade demands, is colored with 
Thatcher's Orange Butter Color — 
the color that does not contain 
any poison. Send for a sample. 
THATCHER MFG. CO., Potsdam, N.Y. 
A Low Wagon at a Low Price. 
The money-making farmer of to-day wants a low 
built, easily loaded, easily unloaded, light draft, 
powerful short turn “Handy” farm wagon; a wagon 
that will save the farmer’s own back, save his 
horses, save his hired labor and save his money. 
1 his wagon is built by the Empire Manufacturing 
Company, Quincy, III. It is only 25 inches high with 
4-inch tired wheels, and is sold for the low price of 
$19.96. This firm also manufacture Metal Wheels 
any size, any width of tire, hubs to lit any sized axle. 
Write for catalogue. 
The misery of it is awful. USE ST. JACOBS OIL 
c t u°re sciatica 
You , ll feel it is worth its weight in goIdJi 
COOL... 
as well as aerate i 
your milk. i 
Aeration improves the i 
flavor. Cooling delays sour¬ 
ing. The 
CHAMPIOM 
MILK COOLER AND AERATOR 
, -— combines both processes in i 
DONT HAVE one operation. Is Simple, ; 
, Cheap un<l FfTeet Ive. Got, 
, SOUR our free book, “MILK-” 
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■T11 k Dealers’ Supplies, 
"orfia 
r MILK m—. 
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TRUE OAIRYSUPPLYCO., 
CONTRACTORS AND BUILDERS OF 
Butter and Cheese Factories, 
AND MANUFACTURERS OF 
Machinery, Apparatus and Supplies lor 
Cheese and Butter Factories, 
Creameries and Dairies. 
303,305,307 and 309 Lock St., Syracuse, N. Y. 
References: First Nat. Bank of Syracuse; State Bank 
of Syracuse; it. G. Dun & Co.’s Mercantile Agency; 
I he Bradstruet Co.’s Mercantile Agency, orany Bank 
or Business House in Syracuso and adjacent towns. 
CfkH FOK CASH.—Cheese Hoops, 
IUI wdlv Presses, Fillers, Followers and Uten¬ 
sils, Patents, Labels, etc., for making ICO 5-lb. bricks 
of the famous “Thistle Cheese” per day in which 
there is an established trade. Address 
GRIFFIN & HOXIE, Utica, N. Y 
iCRE OF CORN 
and its possibilities under the Silage 
system—being the theme of 
“A BOOK ON SILAGE” 
By Prof. F. W. WOLL, 
of the University of Wisconsin, neatly bound Into a volume 
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and many valuable tubles aud compounded rations 
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It Is FREE. Write for a copy 
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Salem, Ohio. 
Kills Prairie Dogs, Woodchucks, Gophers, and Grain 
Insects. 
“ Fuma ” Carbon Bi-Sulphide Did It. 
“I treated 600 inhabited (prairie dog) holes two weeks 
ago, and not a hole opened up.”—K ichard Kesuch. 
Send for free illustrated pamphlet. It is beautiful 
interesting, readable, and will save you inonev 
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STEEL HOG TROUGHS 
Strong, Durable, Clean, Healthful. 
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HALL STEEL TANK CO. 63 N. Ashland Av. Chicago, III 
i 
